Dress Shoes and Winter Weather: What You Need to Know

Dress Shoes and Winter Weather: What You Need to Know

Winter may not officially start until just before Christmas, but many parts of the country start seeing ugly weather by late October and early November. With that weather comes more opportunities to both ruin your dress shoes and slip or fall on wet pavement. We don't want either tragedy to befall you. Therefore, we put together this brief guide to inform you of the most important things you need to know.

As you read, bear in mind that GC Tech slip-on and zip-up shoe covers are ideal for protecting your expensive dress shoes. Our shoe covers for men come in a variety of sizes and colors. They are the best way to protect your shoes against rain, sleet, snow, and ice.

Leather and Winter Weather

Leather is a tough and durable material capable of lasting for quite a long time. But there are some other things to be concerned about with winter weather. First is the fact that some types of leather are more absorbent than others. Suede is one of the most absorbent. Allowing suede to get wet is bad news all the way around.

The other thing to consider is what winter weather can do to the finish. Even a pair of high-quality leather shoes buffed to a resilient shine and protected with several layers of high-quality wax can end up looking terrible after just a few minutes walking in bad weather. The best way to say it is that leather and winter weather do not get along.

Extra Support During Winter Weather

When walking on wet or slippery sidewalks, your body is naturally looking for more support from your feet. Unfortunately, the thin soles dress shoes are known for don't offer adequate support. This is one of the reasons it is easier to slip and fall. To combat this, you have a few choices.

The first is to wear a pair of GC Tech shoe covers that provide a little bit of extra thickness as well as a rubber, no-slip tread. A pair of our shoe covers makes up for the thin soles of your dress shoes. Another option is to wear a pair of heavy winter boots over your shoes, or you can just remove your dress shoes and wear something else instead.

We believe our waterproof shoe covers are the best option. They are the most convenient of the three, and they protect your shoes by way of a lightweight, waterproof fabric that is actually comfortable to wear.

If Your Shoes Do Get Wet

You may find yourself caught in bad weather without a pair of shoe covers. If that happens, the leather could get soaked. constituting a genuine shoe emergency – if ever there was one! Your best bet in such a case is to remove the shoes as quickly as possible, dry them the best you can, and then begin the conditioning process.

A good conditioning product should prevent long-term damage during the time it takes for your shoes to dry out. If drying takes several days, you may have to condition more than once. Keep an eye on things and be ready to intervene if it looks like the leather is cracking.

Waterproof shoe covers are designed to prevent such an emergency. If you live in a region where winters are cold and wet, we encourage you to not take any chances. The nice thing about our shoe covers is that they store nicely in a discreet carrying bag you can take with you wherever you go. That way, you will never be caught without them.